SkyRef / Meteor showers

The Draconids meteor shower

Peaks 10/08 at up to 10 per hour under ideal conditions. Not currently active.

The essentials

Peak10/08
Active10/06–10/10
Peak rate (ZHR)10/hr
Speed20 km/s
Radiant RA17.5h
Radiant Dec+54°

Status right now: Not currently active.

What to expect

Best in the evening rather than before dawn, which is unusual. Has produced storms.

The Draconids come from comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, and enter the atmosphere at about 20 kilometres per second. That is slow by meteor standards, which tends to produce long, leisurely trails and a higher share of bright fireballs.

About that ZHR number

The quoted rate of 10 per hour is the zenithal hourly rate — the count you would get with the radiant directly overhead, under a perfectly dark sky, with no moon. Nobody's actual conditions match that. Real counts are typically a third to a half of the headline figure, and considerably less with a bright moon or from a town.

SkyRef scales the estimate by the real altitude of the radiant from your location and tells you when the moon is going to ruin it, rather than repeating a number you will never see.

How to watch

Do not use a telescope or binoculars — meteors appear all over the sky and you want the widest possible view. Lie back, look roughly halfway up, and give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt. Face away from the moon if it is up. Patience matters more than equipment.

Check tonight's conditions

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